PSG celebrations – After PSG’s Champions League win in Budapest, celebrations in Paris spiraled into riots that lasted until dawn, with tear gas fired into the streets, hundreds injured, arrests and deaths reported, and police securing major routes for a scheduled victory parade
White smoke drifted across Boulevard Mourat and Place de la Porte Molitor. and the noise came in sharp bursts—flares and fireworks continuing in the distance. the clatter of celebration still carrying from the Parc des Princes. Then the burning hit. Eyes flared “white hot. ” the fumes surged into the nose and lungs. and the crack of handheld fireworks turned into something far uglier.
Tear gas, it turned out. A car pushed through the cloud and a man on a bicycle immediately veered onto the pavement as another handheld round landed nearby. The person responsible had launched gas canisters into the road as PSG fans celebrated in the streets. even as riot police stood nearby. On the pavement. many who felt the full force of the fumes rushed to public water fountains to douse their faces.
For a time—barely half an hour after Gabriel’s penalty landed halfway up the stand Puskas Arena in Budapest—the mood still looked jovial. Tens of thousands of supporters marched singing and cheering. waving flags while watching screens inside the Parc des Princes. where around 40. 000 fans had gathered for the match on big screens. The procession surged up the road amid flares. fireworks. scooter noise and horns blaring at cars that tried to move through the crush.
“ Ici, c’est Paris ” echoed along the balconies as supporters stood at windows amid bright red fire and smoke. One man climbed out of his car and onto the roof, guiding the crowd behind him. Others fired streams of fireworks into the sky even as the late afternoon light made the displays hard to see.
But the city’s history sat close to the surface. Last May. two people died and nearly 200 were injured after PSG’s triumph over Inter Milan. when nearly 300 cars were set on fire. monuments and buildings were damaged. and shops were looted. This time. riot police were positioned earlier and roads were blocked and barricaded to funnel supporters down certain avenues instead of letting chaos spread freely across Paris.
That control did not stop the celebrations from breaking down. As the night went on. fireworks became less like celebration and more like danger—being fired “like missiles” at random groups of passers-by or towards police officers in the usually affluent area. Police responded with batons, water cannons and tear gas. Some fans stood near flaming Lime bikes wearing shirts that read: F*** ARSENAL 2026.
Around 2am. a colleague watched a gang of topless youths drag a wheelie bin down the street—only for it to come back the other way engulfed in flames. On a seventh-floor balcony, an elderly woman berated them. Another woman in the building stood by the doors to watch over her family car parked in the road. trying to stop it from becoming yet another burned-out shell.
By morning, the cost was clear. A 17-year-old fan had been stabbed by a gang of thugs near the Champs Elysee and was in intensive care. Nearly 800 people were arrested in the rioting, and more than 200 were injured. A police officer was struck by a vehicle and the driver fled the scene. Interior minister Laurent Nunez said 57 officers were wounded.
The disruption continued across the night. A gang tried to storm a police station in the 8th arrondissement. More shops were raided. A 23-year-old on a motorbike died after colliding head-on with a wall.
Even as the city woke to the aftermath, officials were still preparing for what was planned before the damage fully spread. Six thousand people were primed for Sunday’s victory parade at the Eiffel Tower, which was still scheduled to go ahead as planned.
What began as fireworks and chants after PSG’s Champions League win in Budapest ended in tear gas and burning streets—joy transforming into shame, again, as Paris carried the same lessons into dawn.
PSG Paris riots tear gas Champions League Parc des Princes Champions League victory parade Eiffel Tower Laurent Nunez riot police flares fireworks
Tear gas for a soccer win is wild.
I swear this stuff always happens when teams win. Like people can’t just celebrate without acting insane. Tear gas + burning streets sounds like straight up movie chaos.
Wait so they shot tear gas into the street and a car pushed through it?? That sounds like either police did it or some fan did it, but the article keeps saying “person responsible” like it’s obvious. Also “Gabriel’s penalty” like who’s Gabriel, is that the guy that started it? I’m confused.
Budapest, Paris, tear gas, arrests, deaths… I just don’t get how it turns into riots that fast. Someone on a bicycle veered onto the pavement and got hit by a handheld round?? That’s crazy. And why are they doing a victory parade if the street already turned into a mess? Seems like they knew it’d happen and still rolled the dice.